The manga Jujutsu Kaisen (author: Gege Akutami) concluded in the September 30 issue of Weekly Shonen Jump (No. 44), marking the end of its six-and-a-half-year run that began in March 2018. Additionally, the cumulative circulation of the comic series has surpassed 100 million copies (including digital editions), and Akutami commented, “100 million copies sold & completed!! Thank you for your support!!”
The final chapter features a special center color with 21 pages. Issue 44 includes a commemorative postcard featuring a handwritten message from the author and an original illustration celebrating the end of the series. There is also a special service offering a digital print of the entire final chapter for all applicants.
The upcoming comic release schedule includes Volume 28 on October 4, Volume 29 on December 25, and the final Volume 30, which will be released simultaneously. To commemorate the release of Volume 28, a flake sticker sheet featuring illustrations from the top three characters in the 4th character popularity poll (Satoru Gojo, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro) will be distributed at select bookstores.
In addition, to celebrate the conclusion, all 31 types of clear cards featuring cover illustrations from the comics will be available as a service for all applicants in Weekly Shonen Jump No. 46 (released on October 15).
A celebratory illustration and comment from Shota Goshouzone, director of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, were also released, stating, “What is it like to draw a manga weekly for six and a half years? How hard of a job must it be? That Jujutsu Kaisen is ending. Thank you very much, Akutami-sensei, for your hard work.”
Jujutsu Kaisen began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in March 2018 and is a dark fantasy where high school student Yuji Itadori steps into a world of battles involving curses after a powerful “cursed object” is unsealed.
The comic series has surpassed a total circulation of 100 million copies. The TV anime aired from October 2020 to March 2021 and gained immense popularity, followed by the release of a theatrical anime in December 2021, with the second season airing from July to December 2023. A sequel, Jujutsu Kaisen: Shibuya Incident, is also in production.
Full Comment from Director Shota Goshouzone
“I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I have talent,’ and entered the anime industry as a video creator but gave up and quit after about a year. Then Jujutsu Kaisen began its serialization. It was a work filled with what I had watched and grown up with, and I realized I was of the same generation as the author. They say if you eat the arms of someone who is good at drawing, you become better at drawing, but Itadori grew stronger by eating people’s fingers. I lacked that kind of guts and intelligence.
Fortunately, I was able to return to the anime work as an original drawing through social media. Shortly after, while at a conveyor sushi restaurant with friends from work, a message arrived for a request for original drawings for Jujutsu Kaisen. I asked my friend to reply, ‘I’ll do it because it’s my favorite manga.’ That was the beginning of my involvement with the anime Jujutsu Kaisen. The first season was directed by Park Sung-hoo.
I hesitated to accept due to the challenges involved, but I was able to get work in storyboard and direction. At that time, I had no idea I would eventually become the director for the second season. Being a director is a challenging job.
While working on Jujutsu Kaisen, I often thought about Akutami-sensei’s work, but even the sheer volume of work was unfathomable. What is it like to draw a manga weekly for six and a half years? How hard of a job must it be? That Jujutsu Kaisen is ending. Thank you very much, Akutami-sensei, for your hard work.”
Source: yahoo
